Soul Humming

2010

Ringing in the new year.

Get ready.

It's going to be a bright, shiny, colorful, adventure full of joy!

Sending love to you all for glorious 2010!

LMNOP

it is nine a.m. i'm in my pajamas. i don't like this. i like to be dressed by now. but i am at my desk listening to the soundtrack of the fantastic mr. fox. the music by Alexandre Desplat is particularly happy, lovely, sweet, good and fun. as was the movie. i took the kids yesterday and we loved it. it made me feel full and happy. i am very fond of wes anderson and stop-action film making. it was clever. throw-your head back laugh out loud funny. and, if you are willing to go there, metaphorically meaningful and deep. 

and what else? well, well, well. my head is full of ideas that my shadow self is discarding. she is a lazy old piece of poop right now. she is busily burying everything exciting and feeling confused and unloved. she is tugging old worries out of overstuffed drawers and wearing them knotted against her throat. good God she's a pain in the ass. a dose of good hammering is in order. a fun new design is in my head and on the sketchbook. suppose i push the shadow self aside and get to work. that would be an excellent way to stifle back her poison.

speaking of work, what are you working on? is there something particular that is revving you up?

i tell you what, i've been discouraged lately. more than discouraged i've been numb. there's nothing worse than that. and i know it is derived from lack of work. i'm not working. and because of that i have absolutely zero passion for the task of beginning to work. although there are ideas aplenty they have not come to life because there has been no siren song. i suppose having a puppy has something to do with this although it began before he arrived. but still, i cannot sit to paint or hammer while a little wild thing is eating my ankles or spools of silver or, worse yet, the cats (one of whom is this very moment chewing on my camera). i suppose i may be better off stocking up on ideas for a time when i have the luxury of time. when puppies are tired and kitties are limp languid puddles basking in the power of incoming sunbeams.

mmm...sunbeams. burl ives is singing now on the soundtrack. talk about nostalgic. fluffy red robe. sunbeams through the window. cats sleeping on my work bench. bottles of paint knocked over and used as a bed. shadow self is cackling. time to fire up the torch!

A New Year is Coming

 

eating gift wrap

Christmas has come and gone. Did you survive?

he was the best present under my tree on Christmas morning

Did you get exactly what you wanted? And did it make you jump for joy?

I'm not a resolution making sort of girl. I'm trying all year long to get on track and stay there. I do find the beginning of a new year is a time for personal inventory taking. But I will not set up a list of goals and tasks for myself. I'll continue to evaluate and keep on track. Luckily I know myself well enough to have a grasp on my shortcomings and weak spots without having to do any deep soul searching. The same flaws and goals I have now are the ones I will always be working through. That's life. I will try to be more organized, more patient (ugh), to eat more wisely by buying locally grown produce and continually add more fresh vegetables and seafood into our diets, to step up the exercise, to daily help others in whatever capacity i am able. 

do you have a list of resolutions, goals or dreams that you will work through as the year turns new? do you make a list and strive for them throughout the year?

what about traditions? do you have new year's day traditions? we always have greens and black eyed peas on new year's day. greens symbolize folding money and the peas are for the coins. they are consumed to insure prosperity in the coming year. and served with ham and cornbread it is a nod to my Southern heritage which is the root of all my heartfelt traditions.

what will you do? party hat and up until midnight? champagne and noisemakers? quiet dancing? painting? snow covered day dreams? what will you do?

The Swan by Mary Oliver

Did you too see it, drifting, all night, on the black river?
Did you see it in the morning, rising into the silvery air -
An armful of white blossoms,
A perfect commotion of silk and linen as it leaned
into the bondage of its wings; a snowbank, a bank of lilies,
Biting the air with its black beak?
Did you hear it, fluting and whistling
A shrill dark music - like the rain pelting the trees - like a waterfall
Knifing down the black ledges?
And did you see it, finally, just under the clouds -
A white cross Streaming across the sky, its feet
Like black leaves, its wings Like the stretching light of the river?
And did you feel it, in your heart, how it pertained to everything?
And have you too finally figured out what beauty is for?
And have you changed your life?

Merry Christmas!

 

We've started off our Christmas Eve morning by eating cotton candy (thanks again, Tanya!), walking the puppy, and wrapping gifts. I'm feeling better than I did so it's full speed ahead from here.

I hope that you all have the most beautiful, wonderful, JOY-filled Christmas ever! I'm going to leave you with some of my favorite family photos from Christmas' past. They make me smile and I cherish these memories. Make good memories this year! Love to you all!

the big dog - Christmas '07

 

3 gifts to 1 and still pouting. lol!

 

my kids are so intense. geez, no idea where they got that quality...

 

nothing like a big brother to take charge. i remember these same sorts of pictures with my big sister crushing my face to the camera when we were little.

 

preschool Christmas performances were always the most hilarious and sweet events

 

no explanation needed

 

Super Elves

 

they decide little brother can pretend to be baby Jesus under the tree...in a box...

 

this one makes me cry every time

new pajamas

 

hula hoops for Christmas

 

Grandma is good at this

so silly

high bouncing moon shoes

 

lots of happy Snellings

enough Christmas already

 

you know it is over when the cat wears a Santa costume!

progressive dinner

four friends

our progressive dinner was great fun. no one fell in the bushes or drank too much or got in the hot tub in their clothes or said something regretful...it was really pretty mellow for us! as i need to crawl back into my Kleenex covered cave, i'll let the pictures tell the story...

me and my honey

 

my favorite picture of the night

(i love steve's blue steel pose amidst everyone cracking up)

 

liz's beautiful table

 

the sweet saiks

 

steve and his little deer

uh-oh! what's happening to the dessert?

 

who knew a chocolate fountain could coagulate? i thought the swiss were really good with chocolate? hee...

 

not to worry, there's plenty of delicious sweets.

 

pretty girl with feathers in her hair

love you friends!

cough cough

i'm sorry to tell you that i am sick. i won't even go into all the yuck i am dealing with. but it's yucky. you know that sort of runny nose that you cannot reach the tissue fast enough for? i've got it. and the sneezing and sneezing. got that plus double other yuck.

but i also have two little boys on vacation from school, a working husband, a two month old puppy, a kitten, a cat and, oh yes! Christmas. whew. today was a haze of ugh. i'm hoping tomorrow will be better. i'm going to soak my head or drink juice or tea or whatever it is that a girl should do when she feels so crumtastically yuck terrible.

so if you don't hear from me for a while, that's what i'm doing. in the meantime, Merry Christmas!

Gigi and me and Joseph

 

Taste-Testing

Christmas vacation begins right now!

or Test Tasting? Our progressive dinner is this weekend. We're serving cocktails and appetizers this year. And yes, we served these last year, too. We got a bit wonky by not keeping track of whom was doing what so i'm a repeater. But I'm excited about what we are serving and about seeing my friends and having a night away from my lovely sons.

So tonight I am taste-testing (or test-tasting) pomegranate margaritas and milk punch. I like to have a choice of two drinks, one fruity and one creamy. And as I am really Not (with a capital N) a fan of egg nog I thought this milk punch might be the way to go.

I especially wanted a holiday drink using bourbon. I'm from Kentucky, the land of bourbon. We like our bourbon. And, my husband and I have a habit of touring distilleries when we go back South. This summer we visited Four Roses and have a very nice bottle of their finest spirits. It seems almost a shame to make a cocktail with it. It would be delicious over ice. But I don't think my friends are as friendly with bourbon as my husband and I are (not that I sit around drinking bourbon night and day). But it is a Southern tradition and we might need to share it.

Here's the recipe for the punch...

Milk Punch

• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1/4cup whole or reduced-fat (2%) milk
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (or more) sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups ice cubes
• Freshly grated whole nutmeg or ground nutmeg

Preparation

Whip first 5 ingredients in blender until foamy. Stir in ice. Strain punch into two 6-ounce glasses or mugs. Sprinkle with nutmeg and serve. Note: I haven't actually made this one yet. Husband just got home and we're taking the kids out to dinner. I'll make this one upon our return.

Here's the recipe for the margaritas. I swear, they're the best darn things I've ever had. I love margaritas but this one is going to be my new go-to drink. I cannot tell you enough how yummy this thing is.

This recipe is for ten servings as I'm making a pitcher of them for the party. Also, the way I made them is a bit different. More on that at the end of the recipe.

Pomegranate Margaritas - SERVINGS: 10

1. 1 cup sugar 
2. 1/2 cup water
3. 2 1/2 cups pomegranate juice (I used Knudsen's Just Pomegranate juice)
4. 1 cup tequila (I used Jose Cuervo Traditional)
5. 3/4 cup fresh lime juice (I used fresh Meyer lemon juice instead)
6. 10 thin strips or slices cucumber, for garnish (I used fresh pomegranate seeds instead)

1. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water and simmer over high heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved; let cool completely.
2. In a tall pitcher, combine the sugar syrup with the pomegranate juice, tequila and lime juice. Stir well, fill the pitcher with ice and stir again. Pour into 10 margarita, martini or cordial glasses, garnish each with a cucumber strip and serve.

Now, here's what I did that is different from these instructions. I added some triple sec. A couple of recipes I had looked at used it and it is sweet. At the time I added it I had forgotten to add the simple syrup so the drink tasted a bit like a rusty old armpit. Pomegranate juice is very earthy and slightly bitter. It was in serious need of some sweetening. Once I realized I was missing the sugar water (simple syrup) all was revealed to me. And, I love meyer lemons. I also have a meyer lemon tree in my backyard. Also, I rubbed a lemon around the rim of the drink and then dipped the glass into cocktail sugar. Yummo! This drink is so, so delicious but be careful. There's tequila in here!

And here's some puppy cuteness, just because...

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree, How Tasty Are Your Branches

We finally got our tree up. Hurrah!

Why have only one tree topper when you can have five?

Little reindeer boys

I love Larry Fraga Santa ornies.

But...

 

Someone thinks all this is his own personal Toyland.

 

So we made him some special Howling Wolf puppy cookies to entice him to behave.

 

And soon we heard Santa say, And to all a goodnight.

Kids' 2009 Ornament Exchange

Every year when I am opening my gifts from the 12 Days of Christmas Ornament Exchange the kids comment that they wished they could get so much mail and receive such cool gifts. So when I saw sign-ups for a kids' ornament exchange hosted by the Crafty Crow and Full Circle, I signed us up right away.

Our assignment was to make five ornaments with the theme of fairy tales. Originally, I wanted to make a set of ornaments illustrating the fairy tale The Three Little Pigs. There would be the big bad wolf, the three little pigs, and the little house made of brick with its life saving chimney. But the kids vetoed that idea. They wanted unicorns and dragons and castles. And, I found out that we were to send one ornament to five different families. So a set from one story wouldn't necessarily work.

Each of our ornaments is different from the other. I wanted to let the kids have fun with it and not attempt to edit them too much. They feature lots of crystals and glitter and fairy tale fun. See for yourself...

 

a glittering golden unicorn

 

Another wooden unicorn with purple crystals and glittered wings.

 

A princess made from paper clay (somewhere along the way she took a big turn into Wonder Woman)

An enchanted castle.

 

A magic winged fairy (she's mounted onto a piece of plastered wood that was painted by my friend Mary Haldeman)

 

This Queen is on the back of the magic fairy ornament.

I hope everyone that receives one of our ornaments enjoys it as much as did making it. The kids cannot wait for their ornaments to arrive in the mail from their swap partners. I'll be sure to share them with you when they do.